Effects of self-monitored jogging on physical fitness, blood pressure and serum lipids: a controlled study in sedentary middle-aged men.
To study the effects of long-term, home-based exercise on physical fitness and cardiovascular risk factors of middle-aged nonsmoking males, a controlled study was conducted in 61 sedentary Swiss men. Thirty-nine men were randomly allocated to jog 2 h/week for 4 months on an individually prescribed and heart-rate-controlled basis, whereas 22 men served as controls. Despite varying adherence to the exercise regimen, the 4-month net change (effect in exercise group minus effect in control group) in estimated endurance capacity was significant and positive. Net changes in arterial blood pressure, measured with a random-zero device, were nonsignificant, but after exclusion of low-normotensive men (n = 19) from analysis, a significant net effect of exercise on diastolic blood pressure was seen (-4.3 mmHg; p = .048). The following net changes in serum lipid levels occurred: HDL cholesterol + 0.12 mmol/l (p = .028), total triglycerides -0.21 mmol/l (ns), HDL-C/total cholesterol ratio +0.02 (p = .047). Exploratory analyses revealed that an increase in estimated endurance capacity was associated with a rise in systolic and diastolic blood pressure (r = 0.49 and 0.43, respectively; p less than 0.01 both). Changes in the waist-hip ratio were directly related to the change in diastolic blood pressure (r = 0.27; p less than 0.05). Multivariable analysis indicated that much of the beneficial effect of exercise on diastolic blood pressure was apparently mediated through a decrease in body fat. This study confirms that individually prescribed jogging can reduce cardiovascular risk factors in self-selected nonsmoking males.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Suter
E
E
Department of Hygiene and Applied Physiology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich.
Marti
B
B
Tschopp
A
A
Wanner
H U
HU
Wenk
C
C
Gutzwiller
F
F
D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001823:Body Composition; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D007590:Jogging; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010807:Physical Endurance; D010809:Physical Fitness; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors
D008055:Lipids